Noodlers ink labels

[Scrawler]

The discussion of Noodlers Ink in this thread puts me in mind of a short story written by Harlan Ellison, called "Repent Harlequin said the TickTock Man". Nathan is our harlequin, who by putting forward his own opinion, stimulates us to talk about them, and therefore examine our own. Whether I agree with his attitudes or not, is irrelevant. It is the fact that by making his opinion known and performing a business function, he is acting completely in line with, and therefore promoting the ideals under which the country he lives in was originally formed. It is important that everyone who has an opinion have a platform to express it and the freedom to do it. This principal is much more important than what they specifically say. I have lived in countries that imprison and execute people for simply holding opinions that are contrary to the officially sanctioned ones and as a result I will support the platform that Noodlers uses to express theirs, despite the fact that I see some of those opinions as being short sighted and unrealistic. The labels on these inks all have artistic merit, despite any other messages they may contain. Admittedly some of them look like children's drawings, but even that adds a charm to them. By producing many different colors, Noodlers stimulates an entire group of people, who already have an artistic disposition and makes the whole fountain pen world more interesting and encourages other companies to compete by producing their own interesting inks, with colors and characteristics that differ. This is how the world should be, with color and choice. I for one am grateful for the choices I now have. Choices I did not have growing up. I am likewise grateful to be able to live in a part of the world that allows and encourages the exercise of choice.

Whether we agree with Nathan or not, he has done all of us a great service. This stands alone as a good reason to encourage him.

[Mille]

Prime of Commons

 

Besides the informative

3 OZ by weight approx 87-90 ml and pH Neutral

 

the label reads:

Noodlers Ink

 

Disraeli: "A marvelous durable blue-black contract ink."

Gladstone: "Why, it resists the sun itself. Fit enough for a binding agreement with the tory."

Disraeli: "A security ink that turns pure blue when exposed to bleach, just in case the honesty of a Liberal requires testing."

Gladstone: Eternal enough to perhaps last beyond the boundaries of the grave. I dare say it is bulletproof!"

 

Prime of the Commons Blue-Black

Made for the nother country by the big kid.

Security Contract Ink

 

The guys may have been political enemies, but they seem to agree upon the benefits of Noodlers ink.

[Tweel]

Maybe Nathan Tardif should start including a little comic insert with his inks, like the wrapper on Bazooka gum. I'd like it.

 

-- Brian

[Sousy]

I do appreciate Mr. Tardif's labels and naming for one reason or another - often they're amusing, sometimes odd, etc. But, interesting people and interesting products often take risks, with some risks being different than others.

 

(I was in a conversation a few days ago about 'usability' of technology. As a great example, it was interesting to see the various industry usability guidelines and realize that product innovators - like Apple Computer - often ignore "industry usability guidelines" altogether in order to put creative innovative products on the market.)

 

Of course, that doesn't mean that Noodler's labels aren't sometimes a bit over the top.

 

Feudalism? Monarchy?

 

Really?

 

However, there's always a dime to be made from certain audiences for various political collectables, etc. - and I don't dismay over those, either. (My favorite was some mint a few years ago selling the "Reagan Dime" for $10.00 a pop - or the "Obama Quarter" in Dec. '08, or even all of those "Elvis Plates" that pop up on garage sales. I'm always baffled by people who actually buy that kind of stuff, but I suppose that's one reason I'm not a millionaire yet. :-)

[Dace]

I am okay with it. It's his business so who cares what he wants to do. If you are offended don't buy his products.

 

I personally don't care, but I also love buying LaRue Tactical and Trijicon products who are notorious for doing the same thing.

 

Being a free country is a two way street; people can do what they want whether its being political on their products or not buying a companys political products. It works both ways.

Edited March 19, 2010 by Dace

[Spector]

I dont really care for the politics, but I find the fact that the pictures have meaning pretty interesting

[Sousy]

I dont really care for the politics, but I find the fact that the pictures have meaning pretty interesting

 

Me too. I get a kick out of the 'literary' inks like Heart of Darkness and the vintage-style inks that have been crafted after old samples, etc.

 

I wonder if Mr. Tardif could be persuaded to create an ink similar in color to that recipe used by Martin Luther...

[HildyZ]

I mentioned once elsewhere that Nathan's political commentary irks me, although insufficiently to stop me from buying his ink. The thing that troubles me about Mr. Lone-Wolf-Renegade is, when he inevitably shuffles off his mortal coil, where am I going to get my waterproof ink? I don't know the guy, and if I did, I doubt I'd like him, but if he takes the formula for bulletproof black with him to his solitary grave, then I will cry. I mean, everyone hates corporate, but I'm glad we didn't have to sober up when Jack Daniels went to that big distillery in the sky.

[Possum Hill]

Me too. I get a kick out of the 'literary' inks like Heart of Darkness and the vintage-style inks that have been crafted after old samples, etc.

 

I wonder if Mr. Tardif could be persuaded to create an ink similar in color to that recipe used by Martin Luther...

The label could show a catfish nailing a document to a large door.

[Siv]

Being a Brit, I don't see the fuss about Brown #41. Not of interest to me, even though I live in the US.

 

However, I could see the Hindu's getting annoyed with a picture of a God riding a catfish on "Upper Ganges Blue" but not likely since they are mostly laid back people.

 

Now "Bethlehem Brown" with a picture of Jesus riding a catfish or "Jihad Yellow" with a picture of Mohammed riding a catfish would probably garner some reaction.

 

I'm sure some Chinese don't like "Golden Pig" and some Russians don't like "Nikita" but they are not very vocal and probably won't bother making a fuss... if at all they really care what's on an ink bottle.

[OldGriz]

I thought that it should be possible to have a thread discussing the labels of Noodlers ink. I do respect that political discussions are not allowed in this forum, but I also do find the labels too interesting to be neglected here. If the moderators think differently I naturally accept their decision.

 

The new ink Brown 41 was made in honour of, or to mock (I never really figured it out), some new member of the Massachusetts parliament(?). Another ink was marketed to celebrate the "first free election in Iraq". I find this mix of business and politics interesting and very unusual. Does anyone know more about this (without stating their own opinion)?

 

 

41 Brown has nothing to do with a new member of the Mass government.

It has everything to do with the election of Scott Brown as the first Republican Senator from Mass in a long long time.

I believe it is in honor of his election and not to mock it.

[pointydog]

We are taxed too much, have too much government and are too worried about everyone else's emotions.

 

maybe so, but how do you know it? if the current levels of those three phenomena are "too much", then how much would be not too much, and what yardsticks should we use to ascertain said levels?

 

(by the way, i'm a first-generation immigrant to the USA, originally from a northern European welfare state. the taxation levels there --- chosen as an example because they, at least, are fairly easy to measure --- are very much higher than anywhere in the USA; yet my native country has not collapsed into ruin. fancy that.)

 

 

lynxcat, I somehow missed this. Since it was a direct question I can't resist answering even though it is a little late.

 

Current levels are too much. How do I know? I have owned my house for 13 years now. In that time my income has increased over 45%, yet my combined local property and school taxed have increased over 300% Median income in this area increased a little less than my income. That is too much tax. When a person cannot keep at least half of his or her income, taxes are too high, period.

 

I will try to tread lightly here out of respect for the board's policies about political discussions.

 

American Idol is a prime example of how we are way to concerned with other people's opnions. When someone has to cast about and try to figure out how anyone could possibly be offended by something he or she is about to say, we are too concerned. When little kids can't have winners and losers in their schoolyard sports, we are too concerned. People have to learn to live with all aspects of human society including not only pleasure and success but dissidence, rejection and humility.

 

We have a right to express ourselves...sometimes. If that expression falls within certain criteria only, determined by anyone who's feelings were hurt?

 

And the fact that the government cannot live within it's current means is a clear indication that it is too large.

 

Heck, when I run out of money, the bank bounces my checks and penalizes me. When our bloated government runs out of money it finds something new to tax, like soft drinks.

 

It's not a matter of the country 'falling into ruin', it's a matter of principal. What makes the government better qualified than I am when it comes to deciding how and where to spend over half of my income?

 

I know a family where the two parents don't work and they have three boys in school. Their monthly income is $1650 in housing allowance and $1200 in food stamps. that's $34,200/year not counting the administrative costs which are about fourty cents on every dollar. It cost us about $47,880 last year to support these folks. Additionally our school tax is at the point where we are taxed at a rate that equals over 19K for each student. I pay over $10K/year in school tax even though I have no children.

 

This family reaps another benefit to the tune of $57K. Not to fault them for taking any of it, but to fault the government for making this assistance so costly to the rest of us.

 

A 5th grade gym teacher earned $105,000 in this school district last year (median income is at about $41K). I obviously picked the wrong trade but besides that observation it's clear that any entity that has the ability to levy taxes has a direct line into our pockets and considers that resource unlimited. There is no effort whatsoever to handle that taxpayer's contributions with responsibilty and conservatism.

 

While our local soup kitchens provide 3 meals a day to anyone asking and my own church takes our donated money and buys gift cards to the local grocery store, we make each dollar go much, much farther than the government does. How much I can give to the soup kitchen or church is very much limited by the punitive taxes I pay! I have to support the expensive and inefficient government system at the expense of a local and efficient system that works.

 

Does there have to be a clear line in the sand? Some yardstick? Must we spend thousands in grant money on a focus group to generate numbers that prove the wasteful condescencion we can all see if we just look around? Restricting incomes through excessive taxation is another way to supress the people. It's the reason our forefathers declared independence from England and fought the revolutionary war.

 

I'll say it again, we have too much government, we pay too much tax and we are too worried about other people's opinions.

 

If you disagree, I'd be interested to hear why. Are you in favor of more government, higher taxes and more political-correctness?

[karmakoda]

OOOPS...sorry, must have stumbled into the wrong topic.

I was looking for the one about Noodler's labels???

 

I'm fond of the Burma Road Brown or GI Green, and the label on Tiananmen is, thought provoking.

 

Are there any that feature the cooling towers of the over 100 nuclear power plants in the US?

Maybe Homer Simpson could be part of the graphics and the ink could have a half-life of 10,000 years.

Edited March 19, 2010 by karmakoda

[Possum Hill]

OOOPS...sorry, must have stumbled into the wrong topic.

Are there any that feature the cooling towers of the over 100 nuclear power plants in the US?

Maybe Homer Simpson could be part of the graphics and the ink could have a half-life of 10,000 years.

 

And glow!

[Mille]

Why is Tianamen controversial? I can only see the tiny picture.

[karmakoda]

Why is Tianamen controversial? I can only see the tiny picture.

Tiananmen, the event in 1989, is, i would choose to say, inspirational, and is symbolic of the courage of people non-violently demonstrating for freedom everywhere.

The Chinese government chooses to oppress information about the man who stopped the progress of four tanks advancing into Tiananmen square as part of the military response to student protests. An estimated one to four thousand protesters were killed, and many believe the man that stood off the tanks was one of the victims.

It is best to focus on the fact that this one man is remembered as a positive image of the hopes and aspirations of the Chinese people, and perhaps, someday, will be recognized as the hero he is, in his own country.

Most countries in the World have events in their history they would rather keep in the closet.

[Mille]

Well, ok, not very controvesial here.

[Johnny Appleseed]

Yes - it is controversial with China. Tianamen and Year of the Golden pig, as well as his Tiawainese indipendance series, would be very controversial with supporters of the PRC.

 

John

[karmakoda]

Well, ok, not very controvesial here.

 

Depends on where "here" is. FPN is an International network, by virtue of it's members.

Mr Nathan Tardif, creator of Noodler's Ink, and the creative mind behind the naming of the inks, strikes me as a man with a twinkle in the eye, and an intelligent interest in World History, as opposed to a political hack with an axe to grind. More of a surgeon, than a butcher.

[bphollin]

Maybe Nathan should do an ink showing a catfish in an army uniform named..."Lighten Up, Francis".

That reminds me I haven't watched Stripes in a while.

 

May I remind you of the three quips from the label:

 

Left side, facing: Cast asunder one party nepotism and feudalism!

Center panel: The "Scott" heard round the world!

Right panel, facing: It's the people's seat! Monarchy in Massachusetts eternally results in revolution.

 

Politics notwithstanding, if there's anything offensive about the #41 label, it's that terrible pun and lack of apostrophe before 'round.

 

Also, this thread reminds me to stay away from those cranky Massachusetts catfish, what with their jibberjabber and whatnots.